Whammy Agency of Investigations
by Callicanios
Summary: AU branch off: We follow the greatest minds in the world in both cases and everyday lives. Some pasts are being put to rest, while others are violently resurfacing. And some are just plain bored. Contains Mystery/Humor genres. LxLight, MelloxMatt, NearxSayu, CxBB
1. Assignments

**A/N: this is a branch off of my Death Note trilogy, they are posted here on fanfiction, and go in order of, "Guilty Until Proven Innocent", "Agents Of Death", and finally "Agency Reincarnation".**

 **This is was a requested installation, kind of like, a day in the lives installation, following our favorite elusive, international detectives. This story will follow one case at a time, be patient with me, writing for seven detectives isn't easy. And, no amount of drafting or brain storms made the chapters flow well, at least not with the way I write. This story is currently rated T, however, knowing the way I write, the rating WILL change later.**

 **A warning: This story contains, or will contain yaoi content. And, if you actually read this, thank you. I WILL respond to every review at the end of the next chapter, even if it is just a single thank you. So, if you have questions, by all means, I will accept any ideas into consideration as well.**

 **I do not own Death Note or its characters.**

 **Sit back, relax, allow me to take hold of your imagination...**

* * *

In the L.A office of the federal investigation bureau a large screen lit up with a bold old English gothic W. Many of the workers stopped and stared in awe, "Wow! Sakura! You got L to agree?" Sakura Lee, Naomi's junior investigator when she was alive. Naomi left her with the details she would need to contact further help beyond the reaches of the F.B.I, should she ever need it.

A synthetic voice came over the speakers, "Time is short. Please. Specify your details."

Sakura scrambled up from her desk, "Uh, give me a moment. What's up with the W? I thought he passed."

"He did. It represents Whammy. You have the attention of several detectives, your case description will decide which detective your bureau will work with. You then will be contacted later on by them."

Sakura nodded and held her folder in front of her addressing the large screen, "I'm sure you received the email, or else we wouldn't be speaking." She cleared her throat, "As you know there have been over a series of nineteen deaths in the Southern California region."

"Get to the point. There are many cases that need to be assigned."

Sakura quickly flipped through her files scrambled to find information. "Uh. You have all my information."

"Then on the information provided you will be assigned Detective B, murder is his forte. He will contact you further."

Sakura shouted, "Wait!" Surprised at her own volume, she composed herself, "As in… THE B?"

"This is nonnegotiable. You accept or decline. The choice is yours." The broadcast ended abruptly, Sakura could feel all the heat escape her body and the color drain from her face, as she stared wide eyed with her mouth hanging open.

One of the newer detectives blinked several times, "So we don't get L? Whose B?"

Sakura glanced down to the floor, "No. The hierarchy of the Whammy house changed after Watari's passing. So, little is known… But, if the detective is who I think he is…"

Another synthetic voice came over the speakers, this one was different, it sounded like several people whispering at the same time, reading the same script, "Very observant." A bold old English goth text of B came on the screen, "Let's not let our past fumbles be the judge of us. Be thankful your case was even considered. I personally brought it up to the others, I owe her that much. Speak quickly."

Sakura dropped her files and she swallowed coarsely, "Uh. B. Um."

The synthetic voice sighed, "Not so quickly your brain cannot deduce your own thought processes."

She shook her head and took a deep breath, B… If she was right, B stood for Beyond Birthday. The criminal her predecessor locked away, but he was later bought out of prison by an unknown buyer… It appears as if he had been swayed to rejoin L.

"What would you like us to start doing?"

Although emotion was hard to detect with his voice changer she could nearly hear the grin on his face, "Assemble those you consider to be the brightest. I will not tolerate favoritism, and I will throw out any applicants I deem unworthy of my attention. I will be departing for the United States tonight. I have arrangements already. Send me your team, you have the next seven hours to compile them and send me their data." Sakura nodded. "Where as I have hacked your cameras and can see you nod, I won't be taking such pain staking steps in the future. Refrain for silent answers. Affirmative?"

"Yes! I understand. Thank you for taking this case." The call abruptly ended and Sakura let out a deep sigh.

* * *

The same W appeared on a projector in the offices of the Behavioral Unit of Washington D.C, "Speak your piece."

A well dressed man stood and addressed the projector, "Good afternoon, Whammy Agency, We're looking for a detective to take our case in aiding us track down a series of human traffickers, these disappearances we believe to all be related. You have all the information that we currently have."

"Very well, as much if the data seems to be tracked and complied from data sources you will be assigned Detective J. He will contact you." The conversation was finished and the transmission was over before any further arguments could be made.

"Whose J?" One of the agents asked out loud.

A synthetic voice, that mimicked that of a young British girl, came onto the speakers, "Who indeed." A bold english goth text of J appeared on the screen. "My identity is of little importance. I will be arriving within the next few days. Do be prepared."

The well dressed man smiled, "One of many of L's successors. We're in good hands."

* * *

A similar screen lit up in the main offices of New Orleans. The detectives all awaited the results of their assigned detective. A woman dressed in a suit stood, "Whammy Agency, we have encountered new evidence of this copycat killer, he sent a letter to a local paper:

"Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is:

I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe."

"I hope that the light of this new evidence will help in the decision of our detective."

The synthetic voice spoke, "It does. In revelations of this evidence and request of the detective, you will be assigned Detective L." The transmission was cut and the offices cheered loudly.

The familiar letter lit the screen and a familiar voice scrambler came over the speakers, "I hope that I am worth the cheering. Though, I find the circumstances positively mortifying. Save the cheering once we catch the killer." All the detectives looked down ashamed. "Prepare a team of five please. I will arrive soon."

* * *

A local police department's small computer lit up, seemingly turning itself on, the Northern California police department leaned over in amazement. "Your case has been accepted. Your detective has requested this one in particular." They all blinked in surprise when the short transmission ended.

A computer screen on the opposing the main computer lit up with a bold old English goth text of 'C', no voice filters were used, "I have accepted for many reasons. I will not share them with you. I am Detective C. I will be arriving by the close of the week, prepare all of your evidence, new and old, I intend not to waste precious time. Your case is, interesting, sloppy and solvable. Prepare yourselves. I will not wait for the weak minded and feeble hearted. Assemble your brightest detectives."

The officers stared wide eyed at the computer and its human voice, unlike the first voice that was heard. "You know what's going on right?"

"Correct, do not waste my time with more trivial questions." The transmission was brief leaving the officers dumbstruck.

* * *

The familiar W found its way into the police department of San Francisco, "Your case has been accepted, is there any new developments my agency needs to be aware of?" The hall remained silent. "Very well. Your detective will be, Detective M." The transmission was ended followed by a new transmission of a voice scrambler, "I am M. Let's waste no time in finding this sick bastard. I have all of your current data. If I'm understanding the this case correctly… You have a serial killer who is fond of the homosexual community?"

"Yes, M." The lead detective of the case stood, her long brown hair falling to her hips.

The voice sighed causing a scrambled sound, "That's disgusting. I'll be there, have a team of three including yourself. So, two more… If your slower than I hope you are." The transmission ended quickly.

All the officers stared at each other astounded, "Well… That could have been worse."

* * *

A large computer turned itself on in the central police station of Dallas, the English letter of W was portrayed, "Though I believe this case will be far more mobile that the others that we have taken, your case was accepted by Detective N. He says he has no reason to contact you before he lands in Texas. I also have accepted your other open case. I am Detective R, as you know, this case spans from Dallas to Miami. I will be stationed in Miami, I will forward all information to you as I deem necessary. I will contact you as needed."

The transmission was cut and a U.S marshal stood and chuckled, "Neat. We get two of the top detectives of the world."

A Texas Ranger smirked, "Detective R is leading my case? Now, I know, I stirred up the devil."

The marshal looked at him, "Huh?"

"Detective R is rumored to be running the show on the others." He smiled, "Bet my case finishes before yours."

The blonde woman smiled, "Twenty?"

The heavily mustached man chuckled, "Deal."

* * *

Light dropped his head on the desk, "Americans are vicious."

L smirked and hugged his knees in the chair across the desk, "Indeed."

Light stood up and stretched while taking his headset off,, "I suppose I'll start packing." He glanced to the others in the room, "Alright… So what we know… What we don't know… Naturally, please use the communication system. Cell phones are too easily tracked… Blah blah blah, you get it. Stay safe. Let's get these wrapped up as soon as possible. If you finish a case please aid the others or move on to another case." Light sighed as everyone walked out but C. "Yes?"

C stared at him blankly, "You're doing a good job. They grumble a lot, but Watari never had to deal with this many detectives… He'd be proud of you."

Light smiled softly, "Thanks. Hey, why did you request that case? It doesn't fall under the normal parameters."

C smirked, "It does. They just don't know it yet. I've seen his work in the past, he's up around thirty, this is just a closed incident. I'll send you the file when I've complied it." Light nodded to him as he left the room.

Light rounded the corner to head to his and L's room to be met with a furious stare, "Why can't I go?!"

Light sighed, "Sayu, first of all, this is a pilot, a test, so to speak, to see if this is the most efficient way of operating. Secondly, your son needs his mother here." Her eyes seemed to flare with intensity, "Ah, and well… Someone needs to man command. We can't operate without substantial backing, you have the most important job."

She sighed, "What will I need to do?"

Light nodded to her and motioned for her to follow him, "You will need to make sure that we have all the appropriate funds, man power, and anything else we could possibly need, you will have the highest authority while no other detectives are here. I'd say that's the most important assignment." He gave her a weak smile as he started to pulled some clothes from the closet.

She sighed, "Alright. I see your point. I'll do it."

Light smiled, "Good, because that's your job every time we're all out of town. Unless, you like it, and want it to be your job entirely."

They smiled at each other for a brief moment, before both hanging their heads simultaneously at the sound of something crash and an argument break out. L ducked into their room and sighed. "So… Light… It's Mello and Beyond this time… Wanna, maybe, break it up before Mello gets himself hurt?"

Light rolled his eyes and hung his head out of the door, "Knock it off!"

The bickering instantly stopped, and talking between the two could be heard, "Was that Light?" Mello asked.

Beyond laughed, "Done rode his last nerves. Think he's snapped."

Light came down the stairs and handed Beyond his shock anklet.

Beyond gave Light a sad glance, "If I said I'm sorry to Mello, will I still have to wear it?"

Light nodded his head, "You are still a convict, I don't make you wear it here, because, where would you really go? But, the rest of the world doesn't know who you've become, Beyond. And, it is the terms of your release. I've modified it, however, it won't deliver a lethal shock anymore, not unless the holder of the remote holds it longer... Fifteen seconds on consecutive pressing will kill you. But, a quick shock, will only disable you."

Beyond sighed and took the anklet, "This blows." He balanced on one foot and fastened the anklet closing the lock.

"Caspian will be the holder of the remote. Don't freak out too much." Light tried to offer a comforting smile, but it came across as more pity than anything else. "I'm sorry, Beyond... I really am, no one here likes that you have to wear it while on a case. Sayu will safeguard the key, here in England." He looked up to the rest of the detectives who seemed to be ready, "Well. Now or never, right?"

Nate kissed Sayu's cheek, "I'll try to be as quick as possible." She nodded and hugged him tightly.


	2. B: LA: Deductions

Sakura walked to the laundry mat, she did this every night ever since she moved to L.A when she was a little girl with her dad. Now she's a woman, she shook her head at the sound of footsteps, "Easy, Sakura… It's just another person. L.A is a big city. Lots of people, chill, besides, you're broke… The robber would probably give you money instead." She let out a long drawn out sigh as she reached her destination unharmed. "See freaking out for no reason!"

She waited for her clothes to come out of the dryer while reading her book, she scoffed, "Books that could cause deaths by a heart attack. That's a little far off." She pulled her laundry from the dryer and walked out of the mat. She sighed as the street light flickered and burned out, "Relax, it's two blocks, why am I so jumpy? Does the thought of working with him tomorrow stress me out that much?" She furrowed her brew her bangs out of her face.

She walked down the street with a confident stride, and partially skittish. As she breathed a sigh of relief, with her apartment in view, she was yanked into an alley and held at knife point, "Give me your wallet!"

She held her hands up and dropped her laundry bag. "Okay, it's okay, you can have it." She shakily pulled her wallet out and handed it to the man quickly.

He grabbed the wallet and loose cash and took off down the alley, Sakura breathed a sigh but tensed immediately at the sound of the man scream. He took off past her screaming something about devils. She backed herself against the building, _'Shit! I don't have my gun!'_ Quiet footsteps could be heard drawing closer to her. She took a shaky breath in and closed her eyes tightly. She felt a nudge, square in the center of her chest, _'Oh! God! Have I been stabbed?! If I open my eyes will I see my own demise?!'_ She heard a throat clear itself, she peeked one eye open to see a taller man with dark hair, his eyes seemed to hold an unnatural glow to them, _'Red? His eyes are red? The guy freaked out about an eye color?'_ She glanced down at his hand that held out her wallet. "Oh!"

His voice was low and deep, "You should probably hang on to that a little better." She took her wallet from him and watched him walk away. "Shouldn't victimize yourself. Don't make yourself a target. That's how lambs are slaughtered." His voice seemed to echo through the empty streets.

Sakura sighed and tucked her wallet away, "Lucky day, I suppose." She hurried to her apartment before any other strange occurrences happened. She shut and locked her apartment door taking a deep breath. She dropped her laundry bag on her bed and started folding clothes while watching television and talking on the phone, "I know, I'm sorry, I thought for sure he'd at least approve you. Yeah... I don't know about working with him alone... The idea of working with a former serial killer to find another one just gives me a Hannibal feeling about it, kind of gives me the heeby geebies." She sighed as she finished folding her laundry and started putting it away. "Look, I have to go to bed, and at least try to sleep, if I can I'll bring it up with him tomorrow, 'kay?" She hung up her phone and tossed it on her bed and started putting her clothes away.

* * *

Sakura looked at the address that was scribbled down on her notepad, "Here?" She looked up at the shady looking hotel building, "Guess I need to consider who I'm meeting here…" She cautiously approached the building.

She walked in through the door and walked up the stairs to the room in the address, 1B. She rolled her eyes at the irony, _'Egomaniac.'_ She timidly knocked and her a synthetic voice called to her to come in. "Well, this has to be the spot." She walked into see a nearly empty hotel room with a large command center of computers. "Uh, Hello?" She leaned around the corner and peered into the kitchenette. "No one is here."

The synthetic whispers were intimidating enough, but the lack of emotion they held sent chills to her bones, "Sakura. Sit." The main computer screen flickered with static and displayed a gothic letter, B.

She looked around the room uncomfortably, "So. Do I ever actually get to meet the infamous B?"

The voice responded with a deadpanned manner, "In due time. Please. Disarm yourself. You won't need your weapon while in my presence. You'll have to understand my skepticism of others. I'm in a position to lose much. And, given you know my past, I don't need a frightened, trigger happy agent ending me before I can finish this case. Please, place your weapon in the closet and approach the computer, place your thumb on the scanner, so you will have access to my files."

Sakura unstrapped herself from her prized weapon and set it in the closet, sliding the door shut. She shifted a suspicious glance around and approached the computer. She she touched the scanner it read her fingerprint and made a loud chirping sound she watched a screen that poured through fingerprint indentities in seconds what her computers at work took to do in hours, the computer chimed and flashed her identity on the screen as well as a detailed background check on her. The door opened from behind her, the one linking the next door room and Beyond leaned in the doorway twirling the key around his finger, "Thank you. I had to confirm your identity as well."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, _'Paranoid much? Hey… Wait…'_ "You!" She pointed accusingly at him.

He arched an eyebrow, "Me." He stated.

"It was you! Last night!"

He raised his other eyebrow and eyed her a little more closely and snapped his fingers, "Right. Laundry chick, couldn't keep her wallet to herself." He sat at the computer. "I meant what I said."

She glared at him but studied his features, _'He's younger than I thought… Like really young. How old was he when they arrested him?'_ He cleared his throat while staring at her with a quizzical expression. "Ah! Um, sorry, I was just thinking about how young you look!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "My age doesn't matter. I assure you, I'm much older than I look. Please pay attention.

She sighed, "Why were you around my apartment last night? You weren't creeping in on me right?"

Beyond sighed, "The F.B.I is slow. I was visiting the most recent crime scene, and since I rejected all of your possible candidates, I figured I needed to get started early."

Sakura gasped and started going through her file, "What do you mean?! There wasn't one around my home!" _'Damnit, he headed me off on me bringing up the others.'_

Beyond pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, "Is this going to be a trend? Are you going to second guess everything I say? If so, why did you call for help, if your just going to keep opening your mouth needlessly. I personally, am embarrassed for you." Her cheeks lit up bright red and she sat on the bed and huffed. He continued to type on his computer, "Much better. As I said, I was visiting the most recent crime scene. I've come to several conclusions." He continued to type at lightning speed while talking unfazed by anything around him. "It was a crime of passion, but it was impersonal."

Sakura blinked, "Can you explain how that makes any sense?"

Her cellphone chimed and he sent her a deathly glare, "Turn that awful piece of shit off." She jumped slightly at his emotions and she quickly turned her phone off.

Beyond nodded and sighed and spun in his chair to look at her, "The F.B.I certainly picks the dumbest minds. I'm saying it was orchestrated. The person who ordered it, had personal gain, but the assailants held no foul feelings. However, the brutality of the murder is too… Hmm…" He turned around and continued to type, "Basically… We're looking for a Bonnie and Clyde. Or a wanna be Manson family." He stopped and chuckled, "Or both. We're probably looking for a similar group hierarchy of the Manson family though…" He continued to mutter under his breath as he concentrated intensely.

Sakura blinked several times and shook her head, "Uh. What?"

Beyond sighed, "I talk in circles, it's how my mind works. Get used to it. We're looking for a group of inexperienced killers, they're sloppy, I'm going to guess they didn't know the victim, but due to the nature of the execution they hold high revere for their leader or master." He turned to her and gave her a frighteningly pleasant smile, "Are you with me so far? Or, will I need to explain the bigger words I used?"

She glared at him and folded her arms and crossed her legs, "I'm not an idiot."

He pursed his lips holding back a snicker, "Well. I'm not convinced of that. You are after all Naomi's protégé… And, if you read the file, and she didn't lie to you, I solved my own murder. So, think of yourself as my successor, not hers, she was only known for my case. A case of which was solved for her. She just had to play her role as the telephone to L, follow the bread crumbs and listen to my theories." His stare was intense. He spun around in his chair and placed a call.

The computer system rang loudly and a woman answered, "B."

He nodded, "S. I have made contact with the investigative team, as well as already covered the most recent crime scene you've sent to me."

The voice gave a lighthearted laugh, "Determined to beat him?"

He smirked at the computer, "Not just L… All of them."

The female voice chuckled lightly before continuing, "You waste no time. You're the first to contact me. Have you complied your data?"

"Affirmative. I'm sending you the data now for archival." Sakura could see a green line pass over all the monitors.

"Got it. Really? You think it's a cult-like killing?"

"Indeed. I just need to figure out why and who. Although, after comparing all the victims they all seem to be big time supporters of the rights of humanity, supporters of all religions and avenues of life. Local celebrities, louder voices of the crowd so to speak. Perhaps we're looking for a extremist, however. My investigator is waiting."

"Understood. S, out." The line went dead and he turned around and smiled, "Shall we take to the streets then?"

Sakura nodded and glanced at his hand that branded a white gold wedding band, "You're married?"

Beyond shot hot her a stern glare, tucking his hand behind his back, "My personal life is of no matter to you. The only thing you need to focus on is this case. I don't intend on becoming best friends forever, I just want to solve this case and go home."

Sakura nodded quickly and looked to the floor, "I'm sorry. I just thought... I didn't mean to pry... I just thought it would ease my nerves if I got to know you a little better."

Beyond gave her an irritated stare but he seemed to lose a little intensity as she spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm not comfortable speaking about my personal life... Let's solve this, so we can go back to our lives." He held the door open for her, she left the room hanging her head in defeat. He shifted an uneasy glance around the hallways and closed the door, locking it behind them.


	3. R: Miami: Deductions

The medical examiner walked into her lab, slouched with coffee, her blonde hair tied into a messy bun, she tiredly lifted her eyes and stiffened instantly, _'Who the hell is in my lab?!'_ She narrowed her eyes and busted the door to the lab open full of rage, "Who the fuck are you?!"

Light sighed and took his gloves off and fished out his ID. He held it out for her without saying a word. "F.B.I? This escalated to their level?!" She started pacing, "But, my reports –"

"Aren't good enough for me. And yes, this case crosses state lines, making it a federal case. Though your reports are detailed, I needed to see it myself, I'm not calling you incompetent, it's just been my experience that a fresh pair of eyes never hurts. Do you mind?" Light turned back around at her nod and strapped on a new pair of gloves. He zipped the long black bag open. "Interesting, did you take blood samples?"

The medical examiner snorted, "Why would I do that?" She smirked and took a long drink of her coffee. _'Arrogant bastard.'_

Light gave her a lame stare, "Because, her uterus was cut out with surgical precision, I wasn't sure if you had tested her blood for elevated Gonadotropin levels. I'll assume you didn't, as it wasn't in your report." He sighed, "By now, the viability of the blood has deteriorated beyond any lab work. Thank you." He slipped his gloves off and tossed them in the trash on his way out.

She blinked a couple of times watching the well dressed man leave, "What just happened?" She stepped over to her computer and began searching her records. "Why would the F.B.I come to this office? Do they know something no one else does?"

Light stepped out of the medical office and into the main floor of the police building. He replaced himself at his computer and typed into his file. He rubbed his eyes and typed, _'Due to the incompetence of local law enforcement, I am forced to wait for another victim, however, upon examination, what was not said in the report, was a vital organ was removed from every victim, their uterus. Unfortunately, a trend was never spotted by the medical examiners and they never followed up on blood work of the deceased, I can assume this is related to the Gonadotropin, or otherwise known as the human pregnancy hormone. Why else take that particular organ?'_ Light groaned and stretched in his chair burying his own fingers in his hair closing his eyes, _'Great, dumb cops, dumber examiners and one smart perpetrator. No wonder he or she is getting away with murder.'_

The door opened and Light peaked one eye open, "Yes?" He mentally groaned at the detective who was supposed to meet him hours ago. He ended up breaking into the police station's office wing to gain access. _'About time.'_

The blonde detective walked in, "I'm sorry, I just received your message, I see you found your way in anyway. The Ranger called me about twenty minutes ago to check up on us… Uh." He fidgeted with his fingertips and had bags under his eyes.

Light waved him off, "I don't care, I don't have time for excuses. I suggest you hire another medical examiner, though her reports were detailed, they were only detailed on specific things, that weren't pertinent." _'And she's a fucking idiot.'_

The detective gave Light an angry stare, "Really? Have you even met her?"

Light groaned, "Yes, I did... Tell me I'm not partnered with the boyfriend." Light dropped his hands and sighed, "She has potential, but she needs to spend time with a more seasoned examiner."

The detective laughed, "No, she's my sister." He tiredly flopped himself in the chair across from Light and propped his head up using his fist. He crinkled his brow in tired thought, _'THIS is Agent R? Where did I go wrong with my life?'_

Light sighed as the young examiner bursted into the door, "I did! I did take samples!" The detective jumped and grabbed the handles on the chair. She beamed with a huge smile.

Light forced a strained smile and bit his tongue from calling her no less than a bafoon. "Great! Can I have those reports?"

She smiled and slapped them on the desk. "Daniel, why are you here at night? Can he go? He was, like, on an all day shift."

Light was speed reading the reports and found what he was looking for, "Yeah, sure. See you in the morning, detective Hudson."

He nodded with appreciation, "Thank you… Wait, you'll be here in the morning, too?" Light nodded and waved him out. "Well… See you then, detective R."

The examiner sat down across from him, "My name is Amber. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be as knowledgeable as you are." Light glanced up from the reports to see she was leaning over the desk, desperately trying to push her cleavage up. Light sighed slightly and set the reports down, "You're really handsome, are all the F.B.I guys like you?" _'Maybe if I get him talking... I can get information, anything extra would be great, but a bonus, he is actually very good looking...'_

Light gave her a tired glare, "No." He set his hands on the desk and tapped the fingers of his left hand on it impatiently and raised his eyebrows staring her down.

She glanced down to see the golden band on his hand, "Oh? Married? Where abouts are you from?" She leaned a little closer, "Your wife doesn't have to know, it would already look suspicious, you being here with a young female, where she couldn't find you. In the middle of the night…"

Light smirked darkly, _'Is this an attempt on outwitting me?'_ "He. And yes, I think my husband would know. He knows exactly where I am and who I'm working with. And he isn't threatened." He sat back in his chair lifting the reports, "He has no reason to be."

Amber sat back down in the chair and groaned, "Of course, my dream guy would be gay."

Light shot her an irritated stare, "Is there anything else you need from me? I really need to get started."

She grumbled and lifted herself from the chair, "No. Have a nice night, if you need anything else from my reports I'll be in my lab." She rolled her eyes on her way out, _'Damnit!'_

Light looked back down to the reports and continued his file while shaking his head. As she left the room Light called Sayu. The line rang for a while before she sleepily picked up, "R. News?"

"It appears as women are being hunted and killed while they are in the early stages of pregnancy." His voice was tired and slightly ragged.

Sayu groaned, "You're kidding right?"

"Afraid not. The level of skill it would take to remove what they've been removing would require years of experience, it also seems they're being drugged. More likely by someone they trust."

"How do you know?" This seemed to grab Sayu's interest more.

"Ketamine. It's in every report, they were all drugged. That being said, I'm looking for someone with an extensive medical background. Perhaps, an obstetrician or a gynecologist." Light folded his arms and sighed.

"R… I'm not going to ask why you know all that."

"It's my job to know everything, S."

She sighed, "Send me your findings so it can be archived. You and B are the only ones to get back to me yet. Though... This week is the week of Fat Tuesday. I expect not to hear from L until he's solved the case and can't move from eating too many doughnuts. We might need to air lift him out of New Orleans." She laughed lightheartedly.

Light nodded and sent the file to her, "I'm going to need the information on all of those doctors that operate within Florida and Texas… Can't be that many… Right?" He chuckled at the mental image of chibi fat L.

"One is too many if your theory is right, I'll send you the information, do me a favor? Get some sleep, you sound like you're dying." She let out a deep yawn.

Light smirked, "Probably because I had to fend off the advances of a very forward woman."

She laughed, "Don't tell L. He'll fly down there just to make a point."

Light chuckled, "Yeah. He would." Light smiled softly.

Amber sat below the office window listening through the slightly cracked door, _'R? L? S?Who are these guys, really?'_ She darted to her office and started searching for the mysterious L, only reports and miscellaneous information could be found, until she stumbled on a webpage that was dedicated to him, "Oh shit. L… Is…" She picked up her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "We've got problems. L is investigating us!"

Light smirked at the not so subtle female, _'I wonder if she honestly didn't think I noticed the door?'_


	4. N: Dallas: Deductions

The U.S marshal stepped into the secluded office near the rear of the building, she put her hand up to her mouth and cleared her throat, _'Okay, he's just a man, just human, like everyone else… Don't let on that your star struck!'_ She took a deep sigh then paced, _'What should I say? Hello? No… I bet he hears that everyday… Or I should hope he does… Greetings? Way too formal… But maybe that's what I need?'_ She did several more paces before realizing the door was open with a pair of large deep grey eyes following her pacing pattern, with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk. _'Shit!'_

A hand reached out, "As you obviously know, I am Agent N, please, step inside, fill me in on any details."

She sighed and took his hand and gave a firm shake, he turned around and retreated into his office leaving her standing in the hall, she pulled her shoulder length blonde hair into a tight ponytail and followed him in, "I'm Angel. U.S Marshal."

Near nodded silently, "I'm aware, firstly, What do we know?"

Angel blushed slightly, "All the deaths seem to be along major highways. But, when I investigated the crime scenes, I concluded they're just dump sites, it's not actually where the killing happened."

Near smirked, "Impressive. I wasn't aware investigative abilities was a core necessity in a U.S Marshal."

She smiled brightly, "It isn't."

Near folded his arms and leaned them on the desk, "Ever consider it? That isn't even in the reports sent to me, although, by looking at the photos I could have told you that. But, it seems you picked up a detail others missed. I look forward to working with someone so perceptive."

Angel beamed with pride, "Thank you!" She glanced over at the open briefcase, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, but whose that?"

Near raised his eyebrows and glanced back at his briefcase, "That's my wife and son."

Angel smiled, "She's beautiful. Can I see it?" He shrugged and handed her the photo, "You're so lucky, and your son is so cute!" She smiled thoughtfully at the photo, "How did you meet?"

Near chuckled under his breath, "I met her on a case, but I've known about her longer than she knew about me… That sounded creepy." They both laughed quietly, "She's my 'bosses' little sister, though, at the time he wasn't my 'boss'. Didn't stop him from clocking me a good one when I asked her out."

Angel laughed, "Wait… So, isn't your boss L?"

Near shook his head, "Though, he is my superior, his husband is in charge of assigning cases, I have to play nice or he'll send me on a shitty case. Yes, he is vindictive like that." He smiled softly, "But, I trust him, he'd never send me on an unnecessary case or purposely put me in unnecessary danger… His sister would kill him."

Angel's eyes widened, "So… She's R's little sister?"

Near turned in his chair and looked at the mapping he did of all the drop sites, "Indeed."

Angel laid the photo on the desk gently, "I hope I can be as happy as you some day."

Near shifted his stare to her, "Happy?"

She nodded, "Mhm, the way you carry yourself. You're happy, I've seen a lot of people in my life, I've gotten very good at reading emotions and body language. I'm so jealous!" She laughed lightheartedly.

He smirked silently, "Thank you… In the words of my wife, _'Sometimes all it takes is for someone to see you as their world before you can see the world for what it really is.'_ They're out there, you'll find them." Angel smiled softly, _'The rumors of him were all wrong. He's a really nice guy, a little awkward and quirky, but… He's nice.'_

Near turned his attention to the map again and twirled some of his hair around his finger, "Let's make a list of possibilities. Obviously, any trucking company, what else passes through these highways frequently?"

Angel sat herself in the chair across from him and narrowed her eyes in thought, "Nothing out of the ordinary, just usual commuters, semi trucks, that's really about it."

Near nodded, "Given how wide the disposals are we can assume it's someone on the road, more often than not. And, since we know the killings aren't taken place at the scene, we can assume they're taking place somewhere more secluded. Since no one has reported any gruesome scenes… It would make sense if it was a trucker of some sort. Plenty of room in the cab of one of them, or in an empty trailer… So, it would have to be a privately owned truck."

Angel raised her eyebrows, "Right… Because, company trucks exchange trailers, the killer wouldn't want to risk someone accidentally stumbling on anything."

Near nodded, "I'll work on that angle, I'll narrow down our list of thousands of people to hopefully hundreds… It's at least a start, I'll assume this person has had issues. Can you go over the evidence of the bodies, perhaps there will be something small, like a fiber or anything else."

Angel nodded and stood up giving him a thumbs up, "You can count on me!"

Near smiled at her, "I need to contact our agent at home. Fill them in on our findings and send them the data."

Angel plopped back down in her seat, "Why?"

Near sighed, "If I died one of the other detectives would be able to pick up right where I left off. It's just protocol, but very important. Sometimes our cases can become very dangerous."

She nodded, "I can understand that. What's it like? Working with competent people?" She chuckled slightly.

Near smirked, "They're all a handful."

She blinked a couple of times, "What are they like? If you don't mind me asking. I understand if you don't want to answer."

He smirked slightly, "I shouldn't, but… Let's see, First there is R, he's… A perfectionist, right down to his daily routine of just getting up in the morning, he's painfully punctual in everything he does, but he's passionate and kind. Then of course, the infamous L, he's a smart-ass, and he knows it, he has a tendency to be a little arrogant, but not as bad as R. He's always late unless R is with him, he has the worst eating habits known to man, he's quirky… But that's probably why those two work out. The Yin to the other's Yang." Near smiled slightly, "I hated R so much when he first married to L." Angel giggled slightly and leaned on the desk propping herself up on her elbows like a little kid listening to a riveting story, with wide eyes. Near smirked, "Then there's M, irrational, over emotional, but very intelligent… Sometimes, I think his own intelligence escapes him. He's very infuriating, but he's my best friend, I couldn't imagine life without him constantly challenging me, I think he drives me to be better every time. Let's see, then there's J, he's pretty quiet, usually has his nose behind a video game or a strategy guide. He doesn't talk much, but when he does he usually blows me away, we've taken to calling him the peacekeeper… He normally deescalates any arguments or disagreements, if it wasn't for him… I don't think we would have all stayed by each other's sides, working the way we do." He smiled again, "And B… Where to even begin with him… He's our resident runaway. He left the agency a long time ago, strayed from the path, but he's here, he's… An odd fellow, he's very emotional. I never met him up until a few years ago, but our old guardian always spoke highly of him, even when he wasn't on his best behavior, let's just say that." Angel smiled. "C… He's the stuff of legends. Matt says he's like batman. In a way he's right, minus the day job. He grew up in the same orphanage as the rest of us with the exception of R… He left before M, J and I arrived. J used to tell me scary stories of the boogeyman of the Whammy House. The idea of him used to scare me, to the point where at one point I slept with a night light."

Angel laughed, "Aww."

Near rubbed his chin, "C saved us. Even though, his original mission was to kill us. If it weren't for him, we would have never made it out of a case alive. He's highly skilled in weapons, and his mind is just as sharp, he outta be, he has to keep up with B. He's the strong silent type, a polar opposite of his husband. When C and B work together… It's like watching poetry in motion. The compensate for each other very well."

Angel smiled, "I can sense the respect you have for all of them…"

Near smiled as he pulled out his laptop, "They're my co-workers, but before that… My family, regardless of how dysfunctional we are."

A loud ringing could be heard coming from his laptop and a female voice came over the line, "I was getting worried!"

Near blushed a little, "S. My investigator is in the room."

"Oh. Awkward. Hello." A grin could be heard from her voice.

"I'm sending our complied data to you now. Have you heard from the others?"

"Yes. I've heard from B and R. Be careful, initially we believed all these cases to be minor, but I'm comparing all the data that I'm receiving and I'm not so sure it's face value anymore." Her voice was slightly trepidatious.

Near smiled, "Understood. I will proceed with extreme caution."

"You better! If you get hurt on this case I'll wring your neck! Then tell R!" Her voice was alarmingly threatening.

He smiled at Angel, "I promise, I have a very capable partner. Don't worry."

"Take care of my husband, he's foolish and reckless –"

"Sayu! I'm going to hang up now! I love you!" He ended the call and blushed brightly. "Sorry."

Angel laughed, "I like her! She's feisty!"

Near rolled his eyes, "You don't know the half of it."


	5. C: Keddie: Deductions

A squad car of the Keddie police department, pulled up to the crime scene to see a black sedan parked outside of it. An officer with the name badge of "Bradley" rushed to the interior of the home. He was instantly clotheslined by an arm. When he came too he was met with a sight of menacing blue eyes. "Who –" _'What hit me? It feels like a frying pan...'_

"I am C." He eyed the name badge, "Officer Bradley, you contacted my agency for a second opinion."

Bradley instantly looked relieved, despite being tied up, "Oh good. You're here. Something doesn't sit right with me about this. I know they closed the case, but these were good people. Good people with no closure or justice." C narrowed his eyes and popped a cigarette in his mouth, Bradley struggled against his bindings, "Uh. Can you untie me?"

C pulled a knife from his pocket and sliced the rope, while simultaneously lighting his cigarette. "How many know of my involvement?"

Bradley rubbed his arms where his previous bindings once felt as if they would crush him, "Just three of us."

"Let's keep it that way." His voice was cold as he walked further into the home, "The girl is still missing?" The officer nodded sadly, C's expression softened for a mere second, "We'll find her. Hopefully alive."

Bradley nodded, "You must be thinking it looks terrible for a lower leveled officer to be doing this…"

C pulled out a series of small bags and collected evidence of his own, "Not at all. Corruption is very real. I intend to get to the bottom of it. I have many questions. But, the amount of time spent on this case was enough to flag my attention." He smirked deviously, "Do I want to know why no one took the pack of cigarettes?"

Bradley looked up surprised, "Are they important."

C snatched the pack up with a pair of tweezers, "Oh yes. None of the Sharps smoked." He dropped the pack into a bag.

The officer widened his eyes, "What?"

C stood up and kicked open a big leather bag, "The bodies, when I examined them, none of them had any damage from smoking." He dropped the small amount of bags into the larger one.

"How?"

C sighed in slight irritation, "I'm resourceful." He threw his wallet at the officer.

Bradley opened the wallet and stared wide eyed, "You have an ID for every level of law enforcement!"

C smirked arrogantly, "I'll let you guess which ones are actually real." His eyes fell on something directly behind the officer, "What's that?"

The officer turned and eyed the carpet, "A blood stain."

C narrowed his eyes, "Your intelligence and powers of observation never cease to amuse. Learn from me kid, you'll get farther then your senior officers. Especially since I suspect they were subject to blackmail." C crossed the room and tugged at the carpet pulling it up with ease, "Shouldn't be that easy, see?" He pulled the flap back to reveal a note, "Hmm." He narrowed his eyes and grumbled picking the note up with his tweezers.

The officer leaned in wide eyed with mystery of his new "partner", "Where did you study?"

"Irreverent. This is interesting." He placed the note in the bag that read _'I knew you'd come for me, Reaper.'_ He handed the bag to the officer, "What do you make of that?"

The officer eyed the paper inside the baggie, "Uh… I don't know."

"They're watching us. Closely I might add, and this is way above just your sheriff."

"Whose the reaper? Like as in death?"

C nodded, "Naturally. But for a moment, if we were to embody this reaper into a person, what do you think they would be like?"

"Huh?" The officer tilted his head.

C took a long drag from his cigarette, "Humor me. If we aren't talking supernatural…"

The officer snapped, "It would be an outsider, someone with substantial backing, who would be helping find the killer! Otherwise, why call them the reaper! The reaper according to mythology is the spirit of Death's hands, feet and eyes."

C stared at him a little astonished, "Yes… Actually. Very keen. Who would that describe?"

The officer looked up from the note and into C's deep, piercing eyes, "You… You're an outsider, you're with a group of international detectives… Giving you more than enough resources, and…"

"Correct, I'm a detective. And, you're sure you can trust the other two?"

"The other two are my sheriff and another detective from San Fransisco!" He quickly defended.

C raised an eyebrow, "You realize that one of your prime suspects has immunity for being a rat right? As in, from the F.B.I… I hate this country… So corrupt." C crinkled his nose and picked his bag up and walked outside.

"But wait! Neither of them would –"

"No? The best friend of the sheriff and a mob member being protected by the government for ratting out his old comrades? You don't think these other two would have nothing to lose?" He put his cigarette out and placed the butt in his pocket. "Your prime suspects... And your investigators, both have an equal amount to hide, obviously your suspects want to hide they did it, and your investigators? They hide their shame."

Officer Bradley dropped his gaze to the ground, "But…"

C watched the young man war with himself, "I believe you had good intentions. But you can't trust them, tell them we found nothing." He scribbled an address on a piece of paper, "This is where I'm staying, think twice before crossing me. They are not to know I'm remaining in town. We're on our own, kid."


	6. L: New Orleans: Deductions

Gabrielle hung up her phone, "He's landed." All the of the officers and detectives chatted loudly, excited for the arrival of the greatest detective in the known world. They would all whip their heads towards the door expectantly every time the door opened. Gabrielle smirked and folded her arms, _'Like hell would he come here with a madman loose.'_ She opened her mouth to reprimand all he junior officers and detectives when a computer turned itself on and fashioned the english gothic text, 'L'.

A synthetic voice came over the speakers, "Greetings. I have arrived and have safely set up where I will be operating from. Please send me any new data pertaining to our estranged delinquent." Gabrielle plugged in a flash drive and uploaded the files to the computer, "No need to go any further, I have access to your network."

All of the officers and detectives stared wide eyed at the computer, "Will we ever get to meet you?"

"No. Anonymity is my preference. I can't have ever Tom and Mary knowing what I look like. Though, it is distinctly possible you may pass me in the streets, assuming, I choose to leave my dwellings." Gabrielle's phone chimed with an address, "I will need everyone to play nice with him for now, until I can begin my assessment on our assailant. For now, I will sever communications. Should you need to pass anything to me, pass it through detective Morris." The computer shut itself down abruptly.

The group stared at her, some with admiration, others with wonder, but a few with jealousy. Another text message came to her phone, "Don't come empty handed." She narrowed her eyes in thought, _'Empty handed?'_ She widened her eyes in realization, _'It's rumored L loves sweets. I guess I could pick something up.'_

* * *

A knock was heard at the door and Gabrielle let herself in. "Uh, hello?" She startled at the non-synthetic voice directly next to her peering into the bag she hand in her arm.

"What did you bring?" L's large dark eyes searched the bag for its contents only to have them pulled from his reach.

"Who are you?!" She shouted in shock.

L brought his thumbnail up to his bottom lip, "More importantly, are you detective Morris?"

She narrowed her eyes and growled more of a command than a question, "Yes. Who are you."

L smiled, "I am L. May I perchance inquire as to why you're withholding the items I seek?"

She blinked a couple of times in disbelief, "No way! I always pictured you… Uh, much different." Her bag of goodies was snatched from her arm and he was retreating back to his chair. _'The greatest detective in the world… Is that?!'_ She crinkled her nose and the sight of L fitting half of a Paczki into his mouth.

He sat haunched in his chair, happily wiggling his toes and stuffing the jelly filled cakes into his mouth. "At any rate, do you have any theories?" He managed between doughnuts.

She shook her head quickly, ignoring her slight disgust, "I always thought L would be handsome."

L smirked slightly, "You must have me mistaken for my husband. No. I've never been one for appearances. You're honesty is astounding, now, my question." He stared pointedly at her.

She stared back still in disbelief and shock, _'His eyes are like the abyss… That's definitely him, my father said, even as a child his eyes could see into your soul.'_ "No. We don't."

L nodded, "Good thing I do." He turned to his computer and wiped his hands before typing, "This is someone who wasn't born here, I believe there are circumstances that are some what out of his control."

"His?"

L stopped typing and smiled thoughtfully, "Well done. I'm glad you picked up that hint, no, we're not dealing with a female… Though, I suppose, you could potentially rule in female body builders…" He started typing again, "The coroner was right. We're dealing with someone who is, indeed, quite strong. The only suspect the police ever arrested wouldn't have been able to inflict so much trauma, regardless of how sharp the weapon was." He stopped typing, "I'm willing to bet this man thinks himself a god among men. I'm willing to bet he had survived a terrible ordeal and ran. Only to realize or hope to realize his own immortality. I assure you, no man is more than that, a man."

She sat herself in a chair in the room, "You don't believe in the supernatural?"

L sighed, "I didn't used to. I had a case in the past that changed that. But, why would be the question. One of your survivors, wounded him, forcing him to retreat and send his ominous letter. He had to reassure himself."

Gabrielle shook her head quickly, "Wait? What? You do believe in the supernatural?"

L sighed irritatedly, "I don't believe. I know. And, from the knowledge I've gained from that experience is that, the supernatural are not interested in taunting police or terrifying small children at night. They're much more sinister. However, as I said, this is a man. If you ask me if I'm religious I will throw you out."

Gabrielle sheepishly grinned, _'That answers that then.'_

"From what I'm gathering, I believe that this is an outsider, he states that he will return to the city…" L held the piece of paper, in between his index finger and his thumb, that was a copy of the note and read it out loud.

 _"Esteemed Mortal:_

 _They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a fell demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman._

 _When I see fit, I shall come again and claim other victims. I alone know who they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with the blood and brains of him whom I have sent below to keep me company._

 _If you wish you may tell the police not to rile me. Of course I am a reasonable spirit. I take no offense at the way they have conducted their investigation in the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to amuse not only me but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. I don't think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure the police will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wise and know how to keep away from all harm._

 _Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens, for I am in close relationship to the Angel of Death._

 _Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to visit New Orleans again. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a proposition to you people. Here it is:_

 _I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of those people who do not jazz it on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe._

 _Well, as I am cold and crave the warmth of my native Tartarus, and as it is about time that I leave your earthly home, I will cease my discourse. Hoping that thou wilt publish this, and that it may go well with thee, I have been, am and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of fantasy._

 _The Axeman"_

L looked up, "I have encountered a group named Tartarus. Foul they were, but mortal they are. I also believe that the 'relationship' with the Angel of Death is also a clue, I know a man who the previous group mentioned called the 'Reaper'. Perhaps…" L spun in his chair quickly and began typing. "I will contact you further when I have solved this further, I need to make a call that I would prefer that you didn't overhear. His letter is very sporadic, it doesn't fit just one pattern, thus leaving me to believe he himself is confused in this guise he's concocted."

Gabrielle blinked, "What did you even want me to come for if you weren't going to use any of my deductive abilities? I just sat here and listened to you!"

L blinked at her a couple of times, "You're always punctual according to your record, how else was I going to have my sweets arrive on time?"

 _'Oh! That monotoned little punk!'_ She stood up and glared at L, "Very well, detective. I will be in touch." Her words were laced with venom as she stormed out of the room.

L watched the door, then watched the cameras he had placed around his hotel. He sighed and the speakers began to ring. "S, I believe I may have an issue. I'm sending you my data."

"What's the matter, L?"

He nervously chewed on his thumb, "I believe I'm tracking a previous associate of C's."

"Oh… Yeah, that's a problem, I'll patch you through to him." The line dropped and began ringing again.

"L." A deep voice purred.

"C. I need all the information on those you've worked with in the past." L hugged his knees to his chest. "It's very important that I receive this information as timely as possible."

"I will type up my report and have it to you as soon as I can."

L nodded silently, "Thank you."

The line went dead and L sighed, "I always get stuck with the megalomaniacs." L glanced over to a larger box inside the bag and popped it open. His eyes went wider than usual, "A genuine King cake?" He smirked and grabbed his fork and pointed it at the cake, "You wouldn't know what's going on, right?" He smiled softly and stabbed the cake with a highly interested stare.


	7. M: SF: Deductions

A loud motorcycle pulled up to the front of San Francisco's finest's office. The officer stared out the door wide eyed, "Great, here comes another one." He watched the blonde man kick the kickstand down and reach into the bag on the side of the bike and pull out a brief case. The door opened abruptly knocking the officer off his feet.

Brilliant blonde hair and dark sunglasses, he moved the sunglasses down his nose and scoffed, "Move." His eyes were an intense icy blue. Clad in leather and a rosary around his neck the young man approached the desk, "I have an appointment. Or rather, your office does."

"Sir, San Francisco doesn't contract bounty hunters." The officer recited.

The man smiled and flipped open his wallet, a single gothic style letter graced the surface of the ID. 'M' "I'll say this again, you're office has an appointment." Mello smirked darkly.

A female voice called behind the officer, "Detective M! I'm so glad to see you've made it here in one piece."

Mello grinned and handed the officer his keys, "Be a dear, pull my baby off the street and park her." He walked passed the front desk, "Emily Mako? Wow, no one told me I'd be working with such a beautiful detective, honestly, the law enforcement world takes such beauties! The true crime of the modeling world is to let beautiful people like us slip through the cracks!"

Emily blushed brightly, "Thank you…"

Mello smirked, "But, I assume your brain is far more capable than that of a runway, their loss. What do we have?" He placed himself at an empty desk and put his feet up on the tabletop.

Emily handed him a folder, "Another slaying, witnesses say they saw our victim leaving with another man. They said he was an 'enchanting young fellow.'"

Mello glanced up from the crime scene photos, "You're kidding right? You're not asking the right witnesses, need to find the catty ones."

Emily blinked a few times and put her glasses on, "Oh?"

Mello nodded, "Yeah, but at any rate, you have a decent amount here, we can draw up at least a psychological profile." Mello sighed, "This is usually what Matty is for… I hate doing this kind of stuff. Oh!" He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number quickly.

The other two detectives at Emily's side watched wide eyed, "Whose he calling?"

Mello smirked, "B! My psychological genius!" Mello greeted both the phone and informed the detectives.

A long drawn out sigh could be heard as Mello flipped the phone to speaker, "If you don't solve the case on your own…"

"I might remind you, you're on speaker, and there's nothing against using resources to my disposal, that, and I know, if I called R he'd more than likely lecture me to tears. But I need help, come on, surely someone as bright as you can help me out? You know profiling isn't my strong suit, I don't want this bastard to get away with anything because I didn't source out the right people!"

The detectives heard a groan, "You just want action! Lazy bum, fine, what's your file?"

The detectives started reading off known facts to the silent phone, they all paused for a moment waiting for a response. "So… He charms his victims, then goes home with them… Draws them… Then kills them?"

Mello nodded, "Right."

"Sick fuck." The words sounded as if they were spat from the lips of the anonymous voice with disgust.

Mello smiled at the irony of Beyond calling someone a sick fuck. "Well?"

Another long over dramatic sigh, "M, you're more than likely… Are you writing this down, I'm not going to repeat myself." The detectives scrambled to the white board. "You're more than likely dealing with a case of denial, perhaps deep rooted in his past, he's probably been there in San Fran his whole life, it's always had a culture for the homosexual persuasion."

Mello was writing his own notes, "So you think abuse?"

A distinct hum came from the phone, "Mhmm, more than likely male inflicted, perhaps he showed signs of early on "symptoms". Likely, playing with dolls rather than trucks, or playing hopscotch with the girls rather than ball with other boys."

Mello crinkled his nose, "So, he has these feelings, but most likely repressed them to avoid the overbearingness of his father figure, so now he's a man, still wants to act on it, but more than likely is suffering from flashbacks of abuse." The detectives feverishly wrote to keep up with the duo.

"Or. Because no psychological profile is complete without an alternate theory, he was sexually abused as a child, again, because of the nature of his crimes, more than likely by a male source."

Mello looked up, "That's sick, B."

"No. Sick would be if it were true. This is just a theory, but a theory that can't be ruled out. Not until you've narrowed your case down further."

Mello sighed, "So if that were the case, we're looking for a seme. Or a carefully disguised one."

"I believe that would be correct. I doubt he would take the form of the flamboyant one, regardless, the source is the same: shame."

Mello shook his head at his notes, "So, would it be safe to conclude this?"

"Never. Human pathology is never complete, therefore, I don't have to tell you, but I will anyway, be careful M. This one seems to be more cunning than we're giving him credit for, he's organized."

Mello smiled softly at the phone, "Thanks for the help, B."

"Of course. Don't make this a habit though, and I meant it. Be careful, L would castrate me if anything happened to you while I'm only hours south and C is only hours north."

Mello rolled his eyes, "Good to know that you're interests are self ensured."

"Aww, M you know you're my favorite… Just… Don't tell N or C that."

Mello cackled out, "Don't lie to me! C is the favorite. For obvious reasons."

A deep laughter was heard startling the detectives around Mello, "I have a thing for blondes I guess." They all shifted a nervous glance to each other.

"Anyway, thanks B, I need to get this started." The line went dead.

Emily tilted her head, "How do we know he's accurate?"

Mello glanced over to her while writing, "Let's just say… He thinks like a killer, just be thankful he's on our side."

Emily raised her eyebrows, "L has some interesting detectives."

Mello smirked, "You don't even know the half of it." He looked back up at the whiteboard and stood up placing his hands on his hips, _'He's probably hiding in plain sight, be my luck he's already here, placing himself in the investigation, if my assumptions are right, and I hope they aren't. I feel like there is more to this puzzle than I'm allowing myself to see…'_

His phone rang, 'Blocked number' Mello creased his brow, "M."

A deeper voice came over the line, "We're hunting the same man."

Mello stared at his phone in disbelief, "C? Seriously? Did you want to work together?"

"No. I have my own case, it's gone cold, but I intend to finish it for the people of Keddie, I have other routes I need to take in the meantime, however, I'm sending you the file." The line disconnected abruptly.

One of the investigators behind Mello dropped his pen and stared blankly at his page, Mello watched him carefully. "You." He pointed accusingly at the investigator that was placed by the F.B.I. "What do you know?"

He looked up quickly, "I just didn't know the Keddie murders were being investigated."

Mello narrowed his eyes, _'There's my rat.'_


	8. J: DC: Deductions of a Prophecy

The phone rang on the nightstand in a near barren apartment, a deep groan was muffled by a pillow, the line lifted and the agent sat up, stifling a yawn while messing up his dark hair, "Hello?"

"This is J." A monotoned voice stated matter of factly.

"It's three in the morning…" The agent rolled his eyes, _'I hate dealing with eccentric detectives.'_

"I need to be let into the building." The voice deadpanned.

"It can't wait until morning?"

Matt scoffed, "It is morning. I'm not fond of people, I would prefer to have as little possible contact with others."

The agent rolled out of bed, "Seriously? Alright. I'm on my way." _'I especially detest working with night owls…'_

* * *

Matt leaned against the building playing his DS while smoking his third cigarette in a row when a car pulled up, he rolled his eyes from behind his orange goggles, "People being nabbed up like vegetables and he's worried about sleep."

The agent got out of the car and begrudgingly opened the door for him, "Alright, let's get you settled then. You'll be working with Victoria, she's behind the scenes with all the technical equipment." Matt followed him lugging along a large case behind him.

"Yeah. I probably won't leave my computer once I'm in… You won't have to worry about giving me a babysitter." Matt stated sarcastically.

The agent stopped at the end of the hall and put a passcode into the door, "On the contrary, once she heard about L sending in his hacker, she jumped at the opportunity… Something about Red13?"

Matt smirked slightly and walked past him, "I see. Well, in that case. You can go, I don't need help figuring out my own system." Matt turned around and eyed him suspiciously.

The agent sighed heavily, "Bathroom is across the hall and the kitchen is back down the hall to the right." Matt nodded and opened the case that contained his computer as the heavy door closed.

* * *

Matt snapped his head up as a passcode was being entered into the door, a heavier set, but not overweight, woman stepped in and locked it behind her and turned around, she slapped her hand over her heart and shirked, "Jesus, Mary and spirits above!" Her eyes landed directly on Matt's hair.

"J. Or as you may know me, Red13." He stared blankly at her.

She smiled widely and spoke quickly, "YOU'RE Red?! I guess that makes sense, oh wow, I'm so excited, I'm a huge fan of your work, I've used your coding several times!" She took a deep breath and continued, "Your lack of white space is impressive."

Matt blinked a couple of times then smirked, "PandaKitty?"

She gasped and sat herself next to him in her chair while logging into the system, "How'd you know?"

He chuckled, "You tried hacking my system with my code and a combination of another, which was impressive, but, no one has ever gotten a hold of my codex, except one… And here she is."

Victoria blushed violently, "I'm sorry!"

Matt brushed her off, "Don't worry about it. I'm glad to have finally met you." He held his hand out.

She took his hand and shook it enthusiastically, "This is like a dream come true! But, how did you know PandaKitty got a hold of your codex?"

He smiled from behind his screen, "Your signature."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh. Yeah. That." She smiled to herself, "Want coffee? Or anything? How did you get in here?"

Matt chuckled, "You talk a lot. Sure, I'll take some coffee, your lead agent let me in."

She fumed a little, "What a jerk! If I would have known you'd come in last night, I would have just stayed! I'll be right back!" She stood up and walked out to get coffee.

Matt chuckled to himself and made connection with the other agents. The first picture to come up was an unamused Light, "What are you doing?"

Matt smiled, "Good morning R! My partner more than likely already knows what you all look like anyway. All the personal coms, as you may have figured out, for the privacy of the other agents, contain only my camera feed."

The other camera feeds came through, Victoria walked in with the coffee and stared in awe, "Oh wow…"

L smirked quietly, "This must be Victoria…"

She set the coffee cups down and bowed to the computer, "At your service!"

Matt chuckled, B raised an eyebrow then shifted a sideways glance to the peaking blonde from his screen and gave her a good shove, out of screen view, "Mind your own business, Sakura!"

Victoria looked up and grinned madly, "This is an honor, to be in the council of the most intelligent and powerful men of the world, oh!" Another screen lit up with a gothic W before Sayu's picture showed.

"W, unlike the other agents your feed is the same as mine, you can see all of them, but they can only see you and I. Does this put your worries to rest? They're all fine."

Sayu smiled softly, "It does, J, thank you. I've been going over all the case files that have been sent to me, and, I fear I may have made a disturbing discovery, with J's help, of course."

Matt interrupted her, "These aren't isolated incidents. They're all connected in some way…"

Victoria stared at Matt, "Of course! Agent J, if I may?" He shrugged and she tapped into their line.

The detectives shifted an uneasy stare to their computers as her picture showed up, "I'm transferring the data now, this is the recent rumblings of the F.B.I and the C.I.A." She sent a copy of all her files to each detective, "A group named Tartarus? It seems that they've encrypted their data, but not in the sense of data encryptions, it's a code. Something only they would understand, I believe L's case has drifted the closest to discovering the leads."

L nodded silently, "Recently the local police and newspapers of New Orleans have received a letter from the assailant."

Victoria nodded, "Right, with L's translation of the letter it makes perfect sense! This group named Tartarus has made it their personal goal to bring down the Angel of Death and his associates! I'm unsure who this Angel could be…"

L tilted his head in confusion and amusement, "You've read my translation?"

Light rolled his eyes, "Gods damn you, C!"

C's image hardly wavered in emotion, merely narrowed his eyes, "We're dealing with syndicate… Again."

Victoria glanced up, "As in the secret society, that rivals the Illuminati? Holy shit!" She began typing furiously, "If J, W and myself are understanding the facts correctly –"

"Which we are." Matt interjected.

Victoria looked up, "They're targeting people to replenish their numbers, that must be what the 'Great war of losses must be about!' Recently, the C.I.A intercepted communications from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. They letter goes on to say they suffered great losses in the previous headings with their last encounter with the fallen angel and the angelic family. But this one, I don't understand: _'The Angel of Death must fall back to the pits of hell and despair, but only after the bloodthirsty demon is sated.'_

Light folded his arms, "B."

L narrowed his eyes in thought, "So we can assume they intend to, either kill detective B or have him snap. It's the perfect cover up."

B glared at the screen folding his arms and crossing his legs to Indian style, "Screw you guys. Too many meds, remember?"

Near sighed, "Unless those meds were to disappear and you were forced into a position to act. By placing the lives around you in peril."

Mello shouted, "Are you telling me they're targeting B?!"

C cleared his throat, "He's a means to an end."

Victoria bit her bottom lip, "That's not all, there are detailed plans… Though, I will need help deciphering it…"

L brought his thumb up to his bottom lip, "Go on, we're all listening… A very capable partner, J."

Victoria smiled shallowly, "That is a huge compliment, thank you, okay, so it starts like this: _'The Angel who denied his future as a God, turned his back for the lesser of good, his arrogance be his unmaking, his love be his undoing.'_

L raised his brow, "R, remember that dream you told me about some years ago, about the book?"

Light nodded silently, "So, the first passage is about me…"

Victoria typed up quick notes next to the passage, "Alright, the next is: _'The Phantom of Man will chase the Angel into the Maw of Madness, his blindness be his unmaking, his conviction his undoing.'_

Near narrowed his eyes, "Phantom? L? That's probably you. Next to no one has ever seen your face. I think the Angel in the second passage refers to the first, meaning R."

Victoria once again typed next to the passage, "The next passage reads: _'The Angel of Death, brooder of sacrifice, will allow himself to be captured, he will seek his fellow Angel and Phantom. His pride his unmaking, his loyalty his undoing.'_ But who is this Angel of Death?"

"Me. My code name when I was syndicate was 'Reaper.' In the Christian religions the reaper was symbolically the hands and eyes of Death himself, but as Death is just a spirit, they began to call him, 'the Angel of Death.'" C's deep voice remained emotionless Victoria typed her notes next to the passage once again.

She nodded and continued: _'The Oracle will come from hiding to save his vision, he will believe the Great Deceiver's lie, his courage his unmaking, his guilt his undoing.'_

Sayu sighed, "J, I think you're the Oracle, and Victoria, I believe you are as referred, his vision." They both looked at the computer slightly startled, "Who else can see the grand scheme? Is that not what Oracles do? See the past, present and future?"

Victoria nodded silently making more notes, "Um. Alright: _'The Saint will fall victim to despair of the loss of the Oracle, He will cast aside safety and precaution, he will chase the Oracle through hell, into the Maw of Madness. His confidence his unmaking, his worries his undoing.'_

Near scowled, "Why am I the Saint?!"

The smooth voice of B could be heard, "You're the youngest, you haven't committed a crime."

Victoria noted her passage: _'With the Saint and the Oracle gone, the Demon will howl in agony, his muzzle lay broken on the floor, his caution to the wind, he will rally the Vampyre, his anger his unmaking, his destruction his undoing.'_

Mello widened his eyes, "So, I'm the demon? Aww, C, you do actually care?!"

Light sighed, "Our initial assumption was wrong, 'only after the demon is sated', so B must be the Vampyre, it seems they intend to pit the two against each other, they're betting on the demon, or M to win."

Victoria nodded making more notes "But this last passage changes that, they expect B to kill M.": _'The Vampyre, woe was he, killed and drank all but the last drop of life, he will seek his Angel, his nature unleashed, he will decimate in his wake, passion his unmaking, madness his undoing.'_

L sighed, "Vampyres are notoriously red eyed due to Hollywood, they're going to frame B… Single handedly bringing the Agency to her knees, again…" L sighed once again and hung his head.

Victoria pipped up once again, "That's not the last passage." She cleared her throat, _'Woe was the mother, cried for her children, mourned in her loss, she will rise to become the Goddess of Vengeance. She will strike down the Vampyre, her screams heard by all, revenge be her unmaking, sorrow her undoing.'_

B raised his eyebrows, "I don't think we were meant to read this at all… Please don't kill me, W."

Sayu gave a forced smile, "I won't. We have to stop them."


	9. B: Lords of the Underworld

Stepping out of the hotel Beyond sighed and shielded his eyes from the sun, "Yeah… I don't miss this."

Sakura smiled as she put her sunglasses on, "Where to begin?"

Beyond sighed as he pulled his phone out to answer it, "Food would be nice…" He pulled his phone to his ear, "If you don't solve the case on your own…"

Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand dragging him through the crowds of people. She laughed at the idea of the great murderer providing a psychological profile to the unknown caller, but tried not to eavesdrop. They drew closer towards one of the districts known for the culinary exploits.

"Aww, M, you know you're my favorite… Just… Don't tell N or C that."

Sakura stopped for a moment trying to decide where to eat, _'N? C? How many of them are there, when Naomi told me about them there was only L…'_ She had finally decided, when Beyond's laughter startled her from her thoughts, though pleasant, still sent chills through her spine.

She glanced back at him when he squeezed her hand, "I guess I have a thing for blondes." Sakura blushed deeply glancing at her bright blonde hair that rested on her shoulder. He shut his phone and dragged her towards a large crowd, he stared at her, "What? Hurry up, I think if we pay attention to the activists in the area we'll stumble upon something… That's who seems to be made victim."

Sakura's cheeks were a distinct hue that she was trying to brush off, he stopped abruptly causing her to walk into the back of him, "Oh! Sorry!"

He just stared at her, serving only to deepen her blush, "What's your problem?"

The activist on the stage then shouted, "These acts against humanity cannot go ignored!" Beyond snapped his attention to the speaker, "We cannot allow these kind of discriminations to go unnoticed by the masses!"

"Birthday… I thought they executed you…" A deep voice purred to the right of them.

Beyond's shift was hardly noticeable, but he pulled Sakura behind him, and stared daggers at a young man with platinum blonde hair and striking green eyes, "Well, if it isn't the lord of the underworld, come off your throne to visit the commoners?"

The young man gave a sharp laugh, "Guess they couldn't hold you after killing you… How'd you manage to come back? Impressive, perhaps you truly are the devil."

Beyond bit his lower lip, "What do you want, Jacob?"

"No. What do you want? The failed execution wasn't enough? Come back to rub it in our faces?" His tone was short.

Beyond gave a bone chilling smile, "No, I've always considered L.A to be my second home."

Sakura tried to become as small as she could, she then noticed Beyond's hand was trembling slightly, _'Who is this guy? Is he this worked up… Or… Could it be possible? Beyond is afraid of this guy?'_

Jacob leaned over to see Sakura, "She's pretty, since when do you hang out with pretty girls listening to this hippy garbage? Is that the effects of death?"

Sakura couldn't handle this anymore, she'll deal with any backlash from Beyond later, "For the record, you sir, are rude as hell!"

Jacob smiled, she glanced over to Beyond who was looking at her from the corner of his eye with a tiny smirk, "Oh, she's fiery, I like her, she's too good for you… I'll take her off your hand –" Before he could finish Beyond had laid a strong right hook on his cheek.

"Shut up! Daddy can't buy you everything. As for this? Maybe I'm interested in… You!" He pointed to the activist, "What the hell are you even talking about?"

The activist stammered for words, "Uh, the ethical treatment of the homeless…"

"Yeah, sure, that, maybe I'm actually interested in that… Wait… Seriously?" Beyond shook his head softly rubbing his temple with his fingertips, "Maybe if your dad did half the listening, that he did of spending, this city wouldn't be in outcry for her people."

Jacob glared at Beyond through his fingers, "Oh, you'll regret that."

Sakura widened her eyes, _'It fits now! That's Jacob Marshal… The Mayor's son… Oh god… He just decked the Mayor's son!'_ "Beyond, we should go… Now." Sakura yanked him away from the crowd and into a nearing restaurant before Jacob could recover and give them more grief. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Beyond glanced away from her. "B! What. Were. You. Thinking?! Do you know how hard this just got?"

Beyond snarled and landed a menacing stare at her, "Do you know what his reputation is aside from the good son?" He grabbed her wrist tightly, "I'm a saint next to him." His words were deep and laced with cruelty.

She stared at her wrist in shock, _'He's really strong.'_ "B… You're hurting me…" She started to wince.

He released her wrist, "Sorry… Why would he be there…" Beyond sat brooding for a long time ignoring the world around him, "I have to get back to my computer, as fast as possible. But, I am hungry… And, I won't rush you. I have much I need to research."

Sakura held her wrist, "I'll just get the food to go… Are you listening to me?" Beyond stared at the table intensely. "B… You're going to burn a hole into the table…"

He looked up and looked outside, Sakura continued to talk, before she could comprehend, she was being yanked to the floor and a hailstorm of bullets shattered the glass of the window next to where they were. "Shut up and follow me!" He yanked her by the arm out of the dining room and through the kitchen.

"B! There are people hurt! I have to help them!" She shouted while dodging kitchen equipment and the occasional cook.

"You'll help them by getting away from here!" He yanked her out of the back door of the restaurant setting the alarm off. He took off down the alleyway behind the restaurant with Sakura in tow. "I think it's safe to know whose our murderer."

Sakura struggled to keep up with him, "We can't know that for sure! He could just hate you!" She gasped when she was yanked down a sharp corner marginally dodging more incoming fire. He ducked into an empty run down building and pressed his hand against her mouth pinning her against the wall. Sakura watched his crimson eyes, _'R sent him for a reason… That's what his email told me… It wasn't for the tragically humorous irony of the situation, his email stated that Beyond was well connected before he was incarcerated, that he knew the area better than most born and raised locals… I thought that those would be good things…'_

Beyond sighed and slid himself down the wall holding his upper arm, "Ah, fuck…"

Sakura glanced at him and realized his shoulder was scratched, "You okay?"

He sighed and nodded, "It's just a scratch… Hopefully, you're right. However, if you are, you'll be doing most of the foot work on your own… but if that activist dies tonight or the near future, I was right. Either way, as of now we have no evidence." He looked up and groaned.

"What's the matter?" Sakura glanced around and felt uncomfortable once she realized where they were, it was his first victims old apartment building.

"I need to get to my computer…" He hugged his knees and rested his forehead on them.

"Let's go." Sakura started to check to see if the coast was clear.

"No. We wait until dark."

She blinked a couple of times, "Why?"

Beyond didn't move, "I blend into the darkness much better…" He stood slowly and pulled a pocket knife from his back pocket, grabbed her hair and made a single lightning paced slice.

Sakura stood completely still in a state of shock, "What…"

Beyond tossed the large handful of hair to the ground, "It's a liability… That… And they're looking for a woman with long blonde hair…"

Sakura grasped for her hair that was no longer. Her hair length no longer than a bob cut. "I hate you."

Beyond nodded silently and returned to his crouching position, "I'm sorry… It'll grow back, but for now, it's for your own good."

She groaned and dropped to the floor next to him, "Sorry… You're right, it's just hair…"

They sat in silence for a while as the sun started to set. "I think it's best if you stay with me until this case is finished…"

Sakura nodded silently before glancing at Beyond's ring, "That's a beautiful gem."

Beyond looked up, "Alexandrite, the stone of change." Beyond stared at the wedding band that had three of the gems set in it. He smiled shallowly, "He'd kill me if he knew about this…"

As the sun made its final descent over the horizon they slipped out of the back of the building quietly sneaking back to Beyond's hotel.

Sakura walked quietly behind him, "He?"

Beyond nodded silently with his hands in his pockets, "When you asked if I was married, I am. He's also a detective."

Sakura smiled happily, _'Guess this means he trusts me a little more.'_ She followed him in silence, _'I shouldn't push the matter, he'll tell me when he wants to…'_ She glanced up, "Um, Beyond?"

He waved her off, "Yeah, I know, that way would have been faster, but it's also more populated."

She glanced at her watch, _'Great. It'll be a couple hours if we avoid every populated area of L.A.'_

* * *

Beyond unlocked his room and Sakura tiredly walked in, Beyond set his key down on the nightstand and sat at his computer, "Go ahead and sleep. I won't do anything creepy, I promise."

Sakura flopped on the bed and groaned, dragging herself up to the pillow, "B? What's he like?"

He turned to give her an irritated stare but sighed instead while pulling the covers over her, he sat himself on the edge of the bed and sighed, "Well… He's the strong silent type." He laughed a little when Sakura rolled her eyes, "He's a detective for the same agency." She nodded, fighting to keep her eyes open, _'So he must be N or C.'_ He smirked, "He's patient, but not always kind, you have to mess up pretty bad to piss him off though. But, when he does finally get mad, he has this vein the pops out of his neck, I've often wondered if he'd pass out if I held it down." Sakura smiled and finally closed her eyes.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes to see Beyond staring at his computer and talking, _'Who..?'_ She got up and leaned over to peek over his shoulder.

He pushed her head back with a good shove, "Mind your own business, Sakura."

She smiled softly, _'That couldn't be him… I don't think… He said he had a thing for blondes, leading me to believe his husband is a blonde.'_ She started making coffee before he startled her into dropping the coffee packet, "Screw you guys! Too many meds, remember?" She looked over to see Beyond had crossed his legs and arms. She blinked a couple of times, _'Meds? He's medicated? Eesh, how safe am I really?'_ She bent over and picked up the packet, _'Angel of Death? Pits of hell and despair? So… If they think… So, C must be his husband… Asshole won't use my deductive abilities in the case, so I'll just solve the great mystery of my detective then!'_ Sakura clamped her hands into fists and smiled determinedly.

"You're the youngest and haven't committed a crime." Sakura looked up, _'I get it. They aren't just his coworkers, they're his family…'_

"I don't think we were supposed to read this at all… Please don't kill me, W…"

Sakura looked down, _'So… We're dealing with more than just my case, more than just an ordinary spree killer… We're dealing with… Syndicate, great an organization that never actually officially existed. It explains why they've gotten away with so much.'_ She glanced up to see Beyond rubbing his temples, a bandage over his scratch, "You didn't tell them?"

Beyond sighed, "It would only make them worry, the more they worry the less they observe and solve. If I died, it would just be that, the other agents wouldn't be privileged to that information until after the cases they're currently on… The only one who'd ever know is W… Or the new Watari. J would probably figure it out… Hell… They all probably would."

She sighed, "What about me? The case? What would happen, if you died?"

Beyond glanced back at her, "You would get a new detective, why do you think I'm so pushy when it comes to getting to my computer? I've updated them with every detail, the only one who knows I was injured is W…"

"Wait, you called her S yesterday."

"Perceptive. We're in the process of training and recruiting others in between cases, she has resigned the letter S and taken W in Watari's stead."

Sakura nodded, "Well. Don't die. I'll make sure to keep you alive so you can go home to C." She smirked slyly.

He stared at her before cracking a smile, "You're smarter than you look."

She puffed her cheeks in irritation, "I only look dumb because of my hair! That you so rudely cut!"

Beyond gave a long deep yawn, "I told you I was sorry… Make sure you're paying attention to your phone, W said she'd relay any information to either my terminal or directly to your cell phone." Beyond yawned again and lifted himself from the computer and dropped himself on the bed. "I suspect you're more capable than Naomi was, make sure to keep an eye out… No, I don't care if you go through files, all the ones you don't have the authorization to read are password protected, so don't get any weird ideas."

Sakura smiled as he pulled himself into a ball and snuggled under the covers.


	10. R: Entanglments

Steam rose from the brown styrofoam cup as Light impatiently tapped on his jawline with his fingertips while leaning against his hand at a small coffeeshop, perched at a chair nearing the entrance of the shop. Painted in mocha, creams and other warm hues of tan. It was small, with deep woods running throughout on the tables and counters. Cream colored counters where the baristas prepared the cups of Java for the masses from behind a wall of machines..

His eyebrows raised slightly when a panting blonde flopped tiredly into a chair next to him at his table next to the grand shop window. "I'm so sorry! My car wouldn't start and I didn't have your number… So I ran here."

Light released a small grin as his voice purred, "I see. I'm glad you could make it… So I guess we're taking my car then. Did you want anything? My treat." Daniel sighed heavily and nodded. The brunette sat back in his seat raising a well groomed eyebrow as he crossed his arms and legs. "Tell me something, Daniel, are you always late?"

Hanging his head slightly as he nervously pulled at his tie and the collar of his dress shirt that was obviously wrinkled beneath his suit coat. The blonde detective closed his eyes, "Yeah. Usually. I want to say it isn't my fault. But, it really kind of is. If I would have kept up with the maintenance of my vehicle, I wouldn't have been late. If I would have put half as much effort into my marriage, as I did trying to stay awake to work, I wouldn't only get rare opportunities to see my kids." He trailed his emerald green eyes up to Light's honey hued, amber stare. "So I want to say, I'm a victim of circumstances… But the circumstances are that of my own making…"

Light nodded slightly with a contemplative stare, taking this in, "I see, said the blind man. I couldn't possibly imagine what it's like to walk in your shoes. Order your coffee, I'll get the car." Light dropped a fifty dollar bill on the table as he stood up. "Keep the change to go towards fixing your car."

Daniel glanced up towards Light and gave a weak but appreciative smile. Walking up to the counter he stared blankly at the menu. _'He's actually really nice. Detective R has been rumored to always be a jerk. I can see he's a perfectionist… But…'_

"Excuse me? Sir? Are you ready to order?" A young ebony haired woman with fair skin called to him from behind the machines.

Daniel shook his head slightly, clearing his head. He gave her a tiny smile and ordered his simple coffee, black, one sugar. She returned his change and received a ten dollar tip. He turned slightly to see a jet black sedan with privacy glass sitting outside the coffeeshop, _'That must be him… I guess L and his associates don't understand subtlety.'_ He chuckled quietly as he stepped out of the shop and was greeted by the morning Florida humidity.

His forest green eyes widened when the car in front of the sedan started, a loud engine purring. He glanced over to see Light leaning on a cherry red 1971 Dodge Challenger, in pristine condition, with a lit cigarette pursed in between his lips. _'Alright… Didn't see that one coming… Still doesn't understand subtlety. But damn that car is sexy!'_ He approached the brunette with a lopsided smirk pointing at the car. "Is this you?" He chuckled slightly when Light glanced up.

Light returned the smirk with a smug grin of his own, "Oh please. You think I'd drive around in a boring car like the one behind us?" He pulled the door open and dropped himself into the driver's seat. Daniel sat himself in the passenger's side and stared in astonishment at the updated interior. It was retrofitted with an onboard GPS, complete with laptop support.

The obsidian sedan behind them pulled around and away from them. Light glanced up from the steering wheel and watched the car pull away with a devious smile. He then typed a couple commands into the computer bringing up a secondary GPS map with a ping tracker. Daniel watched with wide eyes. "There are only two people in the medical profession that span from Miami to Dallas. That's one of them." The brunette typed a couple more command prompts into the computer and brought up another GPS screen. This signal was from across town. "That's the other."

Daniel watched the GPS mimicking screen that had detailed information of every street and major business within closest proximity of each car. "Uh, Detective R? Is this legal?"

"Light. Call me Light when we're out in public eyes." Light narrowed his eyes with determination as the Bluetooth to the car resounded a ringing sound.

Daniel nodded his head and shifted his eyes around, "You didn't answer my question."

The young agent smirked while rolling the window all the way down and discarding the cigarette, "It isn't illegal. But if it's legal or not… That's up to your desecration. If it were fully illegal then companies should stop putting trackers in our cell phones, certain types of jewelry or computers in general. I never consented to having a GPS chip in my personal cellphone, yet one sits there."

The ringing stopped and a female voice responded. "R. I have both feeds in crystal clear tracking. Proceed with extreme caution. When I compared the files, Dr. Matheus has family in Dallas as well as four open clinics spanning from Florida to Texas. And Dr. Rogers frequents Dallas on business expenses. When I traced down the credit card information, it's an affair on his business card. Or I assume, unless big medical bureaucrats meet at shady hotels on the outskirts of cities frequently. Dr. Matheus is your prime suspect."

Light gave a crooked half smile. "Very well. What can you tell me about him?"

The melodic voice continued, "He's dating your examiner. Or rather, sleeping with her. Or I assume, unless there's a charity fund to pay for the living expenses of beautiful women who mean nothing to them."

Daniel gasped quietly leaving his mouth agape slightly, with the lip of his cup to the ridge of his own bottom lip. Light cleared his throat and stared expectantly at Daniel while placing one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. "Got it. Makes sense now. No one would suspect you if you're deemed an idiot. We're going to investigate the previous drop site, see if anyone else is being persuaded."

"Affirmative. Light… Please be careful." The female voice sounded trepidatious, "Not sure if you know, but B's lead turned hostile. He's been compromised. I've already sent the orders to both C and M should one of them finish their case to relieve him… Though he insists on staying… As usual he's just as stubborn as all of you."

"Of course he wants to stay. So he's found his assailant? I suppose I don't expect much else from him. He is our little Hannibal, after all." Light smirked slightly, "Sayu, make sure he stays safe. Send extra trusted agents if need be from other resources." He nodded and ending the call and shifting the car into drive and pulling the purring beast forward. "Now it's time you talk with me. What do you know?"

Daniel looked down and stared at his reflection in the coffee, "Apparently nothing… I've been taking double shifts and working almost nonstop so that I could help her pay her bills. She said she was having a hard time making ends meet… A part of me knew she was hiding something, but I wanted to believe more in my sister."

He shifted his green eyes towards the other, _'Hannibal? Am I to believe that huge case in LA those years ago ended in the guy getting recruited? Now, I really know, I fucked my life up. This guy and what was his name…'_ Daniel furrowed his brow in thought keeping an eye on Light to ensure he didn't figure out that he was trying to deduce the identities of his coworkers. _'Beyond! That's right… He stuck out, he had an odd name and a sinister stare… I remember his mug shot… Yeah, he was the punk who smiled and gave a peace sign to the camera for his prison file.'_

Keeping his caramel eyes on the road Light nodded in silence. The fiery best purred through the city streets attracting more than its fair share of attention. _'I couldn't imagine… No. I won't imagine what it would have been like, I would have done the same for Sayu.'_

The cherry colored vehicle rolled up to a isolated bathroom on the outskirts of Miami after a forty minute silent drive. Daniel was thankful the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Light shoved the door open assertively and sighed at the rundown, abandoned gas station. "How cliché…"

The door to the bathroom slowly creaked open, a foul scent carried through the air. Both detectives widened their eyes in surprise. Daniel covered his mouth and ran towards the nearing over grown shrubbery. Light winced at the smell and covered his nose with a handkerchief.

Light tilted his head and pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, "Now I'm curious…" He slowly approached a woman who had been carved open in the same fashion as the others, but a message in blood was scrawled on the mirror. 'Detective L, or whoever is in his stead. I'm aware of your presence and don't take lightly to you coming here.'

Light crouched next to the newest victim and sighed sadly as he gently rolled her neck with his gloved fingertips, before letting it fall back into place. He stood up and stepped out of the bathroom. He strolled over to his car and opened the passenger side and reached into the back, grabbing a big leather bag. He pulled a high caliber camera out and loaded it with film. Daniel groaned while holding his stomach before blinking several times, "Whoa… Old school."

Light smirked and closed the film latch shut, "Film picks up things that digital sometimes misses."

* * *

 **A/N: Yes. This story is going active again, along with all my other stories. I hope you're in for a roller coaster, this one I have big plans for. I, however, unfortunately, have recently had a huge family dynamic change in my life. As a result, I had to take a second job. So my free time is quite limited.**

 **But! Like I said, all of my stories are being reactivated and are all on a rotation. No story left behind. ;)**


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